Polish amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy made headlines as he won the FIFA Puskas Award 2022, prompting many to ask who he is and what kind of goal he scored, find out his brief bio and background below, along with his current team and country
The FIFA Puskas Award is an award given to the best goal of the year created in 2009. It is a well-established and treasured individual prize in football.
Who is Marcin Oleksy amputee footballer winner of FIFA Puskas Award 2023, age, team, country, stats, story, accident, Twitter
🏆 The FIFA Puskas Award goes to Marcin Oleksy!
…and what a goal it was 🤩 pic.twitter.com/2LEkSUbfHN
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 27, 2023
🚨🇵🇱 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: This goal from Marcin Oleksy has won the FIFA Puskas 2022 award! pic.twitter.com/X1eTS6Js2u
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) February 27, 2023
Marcin Oleksy managed to win past Richarlison and Dimitri Payet, who were the other two finalists of the 2022 award.
Marcin Oleksy wins the FIFA Puskas Award 2022
While the Richarlison and Dimitri Payet are household names, Oleksy was surprising name and prompted the curiosity of many fans. Interestingly, Oleksy unlike the other two finalists, plays football with just one leg. Despite the heavy disadvantage, the Polish amputee won the Puskas Award for 2022 ahead of the two goalscorers.
Marcin Oleksy Puskas winning award goal
Marcin Oleksy won the FIFA Puskas Award on February 27, 2023 for his amazing strike and will now go down in history as the first amputee recipient of the award.
The 35-year-old scored his mind-blowing goal in Poland back in November 6, 2022. It came during a match while, playing for Warta Poznan against Stal Rzeszow.
The forward hooked onto an incoming cross and whipped up a perfectly executed bicycle kick flying the ball past the opposition goalkeeper. Oleksy did all this with just one leg to leap and hit the ball, a truly unreal piece of skill.
Marcin Oleksy brief bio and background
Marcin Oleksy is a Polish amputee footballer who was born on 11 April 1987 and is currently 35 years old. When was around 23-years-old, he was working as a road worker when he suffered an unfortunate accident. A large machine fell on his legs, which led to his lower left extremity being amputated.
Currently, 12 years after the accident, Oleksy is currently 35, and stands out in his country as an amputee footballer. Moreover, he continues to dedicate himself to the construction business. Oleksy returned to football back in 2019 and now plays as an outfield player in adapted football. He previously played as goalkeeper before his tragic accident.
Oleksy’s performances got him called up to represent Poland in the 2022 Amputee Soccer World Cup. The 35-year-old and his teammates reached the Round of 16 before Brazil eliminated them.
Following his win at the FIFA’s The Best 2022 awards, Oleksy has become the first amputee Puskas award winner. Moreover, he has opened the door for the recognition of all other forms of football on the global stage.